The Neapolitan pianist and composer Maria Gabriella Mariani, following her studies and competition successes, performed in major concert houses in Italy and Europe more broadly, to both critical and public acclaim. She first began improvising as a child and, recently, has also demonstrated this aspect of her creativity in concert. Her compositions are generally conceived for piano solo, or piano with other instruments and voice. Her ability to instill emotional continuity with the listener has been noted. "Secure, imaginative, very artistic, never predictable." - Martha Argerich